Naruto: Lone Marksman
by ShadowAce117
Summary: Kyūbi no Yōko. An immensely strong demon with a frightening amount of knowledge. However, when your life's on the line, there's nothing that you won't do to survive. Strong!Naruto, Naruto/Yugito/Harem. All reviews appreciated! Hiatus.
1. Enter Maelstrom

A/N: Hey guys, I've decided not to put in so much OCs in my stories, they only detract focus away from the main character(s). So here's my first multi-chapter story without an OC-centric character.

So, with that being said, here's a new story _Naruto: Lone Marksman_, while I find more inspiration to continue my other in-complete story _Shattered_, so I'm sure I'll be stumbling, hope you guys put in some constructive criticism!

The pairings are undecided, Naruto and Yugito are a maybe, since I will have them working as future partners. But again it's a maybe, it could turn out to be a harem at that point, so I'll make the characters as only Naruto U.

A/N: This chapter was officially revised on 05/26/11!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or anything to do with it. Naruto is the sole property of Masashi Kishimoto, and I expect it will stay that way. But a man can dream right?

"Talking"

_Thinking_

**Jutsu/Demon speech**

* * *

A blond 6-year-old was busy running away from a mob. They were out for blood. In the dark sky, fireworks lit up the sky, a contrast to the mood in this particular street.

It was October 10th. 6th year after the attack, and subsequent defeat of the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko, and death of the Yondaime Hokage.

_Again? I can't believe that the Old Man would allow this on my birthday! _Thought a distressed Naruto.

Behind him, shouts for vengeance and the death of the 'demon brat' were making their intentions clear.

It never did occur to them, that if the little blond was in fact the Nine-tailed demon, that they would have been nothing but red smears on the ground. But Naruto never truly hated anyone. Not the shopkeepers who kicked him out or overpriced him. Not the random passerby who spat and glared at him. Not even the various Chuunin, Jounin, and the occasional ANBU operatives who allow the beatings.

Sure, the Sandaime Hokage treated him as best he could, but he explained to him how even he could not completely force his will upon the village of Konohagakure. The council alone was the greatest obstacle he could not overcome, not even The Professor, so he implored Naruto to deal with it until he made ninja rank.

Naruto always had a particular interest in the ANBU black operatives. Now when I say a particular _interest _with a _6-year-old_, I mean borderline worship. Not so much in the ranking systems or even their power, but the fact they only answered to their comrades and the Hokage personally. He always wanted to serve and protect the village, while also not spending too much time in it.

As the mob caught up to him, courtesy of him tripping on a cursed piece of stone, he lost himself to blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

He woke up in a dark, ominous sewer. Oh he knew already that he was in his mind scape. He also knew that he was the jailer of the Kyuubi no Yoko. They had already met on not so good terms 2 years ago, during a particularly brutal..._beating _of sorts. Kyuubi explained how he was trapped, and that if Naruto died, he would as well, and devoted some of his power to healing him. He also, after much contemplation and yelling, told him, that if he were to come again, in a precarious situation, that he would help him gain power...if only out of self-preservation.

He walked down the snaking hallways of his mind scape, trudging through whatever was in the murky but odorless water.

**"Ah, pitiful human, again brutalized and tortured by his own kind." **boomed the voice of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon.

"...So, is the power that you said you would grant me ready?" sighed Naruto, as long as he lived, he would protect, and despite the beatings, he would endure, and he couldn't protect while he was unconscious.

**"Impatient, aren't we? But what do you take me for you insolent brat? Of course they are." **Kyuubi's red youkai seeped through the bars of the large cage took 4 shapes in front of Naruto, and with it, his destiny.

As the 2 of the 4 shapes took form, they were a polished light-weight black steel, a short L-type weapon. The _guns _as Kyuubi had called it, were a dual-pistol type. Semi-automatic projectile system, the projectiles, called _bullets _designed to break through armor, yet stop and explode upon penetration of flesh. The bullets were semi-sentient and could detect when to piece a piece of wood, and when to explode right next to a vital organ, such as a lung. The semi-sentient bullets also meant, that with training and precision, he could intercept and destroy kunai, shuriken, and even other bullets if needed.

The pistols were meant for all types of combat, from close combat, right up until shooting down the horizon for a specific target, though in then latter case, the accuracy would be reduced, as the were only iron sights. And even highly-proficient specialists would have trouble hitting a target downrange over 500 yards.

The next and largest form took shape in yet another L-type weapon, but substantially larger. The barrel was much larger, along with a stock, wider _clip _to hold the bullets, and came with the see-through object on top, replacing the iron sights, called a _scope_. The sniper weapon, was a deep black steel, much like the two smaller pistols he has already added to specifically-made hostler on his hips, but the parts of the chamber and barrel were colored with a rich crimson, the color of blood. It could fire beyond a range of 2 - 3 miles and brought devastation wherever it went. The bullet was also semi-sentient, which only added to the firepower the the weapon could unleash.

The last form took into the shape of a katana. It was a deep black stainless-steel, only a bit shorter than the sniper before it. The hilt lacked a hand guard, most likely used more for offense and speed rather than defense, it was colored a deep crimson. A curved and explicitly simple design, with combat only in mind. It was unbelievably sharp. He should know, he was on the receiving end of it during training with the Kyuubi when he was 5.

Placing the katana on his back, next to the sniper, he change his clothes in the mind scape, a black soldier-style combat vest with numerous pockets, modified ANBU pants in order to adjust to his hostlers, and black steel-toed combat boots.

He was already proficient in all these weapons, due to some of his training, he constantly hid his talents, preferring to go all out when he used replicas of the weapons he had. Kyuubi was a very good, brutal, if not a sadistic teacher. He had also taught he the many usages of chakra, stating it was a waste to completely forgo such useful advantages. Kyuubi had rated him on paper as 'Kage' Level. However Kyuubi had stopped the beginnings of his ever-loud cheering by saying realistically, he was only 'Mid Jounin' to 'Low ANBU' level at best. There was no real substitute for combat experience.

Still, Naruto had been ecstatic, and reported all of this to one Hiruzen Sarutobi, or the Sandaime Hokage. The military leader of the powerhouse that was Konohagakure.

He, at first was skeptical, of just about everything, but after Naruto brought him into his mind scape, not an easy feat mind you, he had agreed with Kyuubi's judgement to properly rank him into the ninja program once he received his true weapons. Secret from the council of course, but if there was any one thing Sarutobi wanted to do against the council's judgement, it was this and another secret.

When Naruto had been told about his parents, he received an even bigger idol, seeing his parents fight for the village so passionately. However, he was not able to live in the Namikaze estate until he was introduced into the ninja program and after telling the council. Naturally, Sarutobi already felt the beginnings of a massive migraine when he should speak to the council, both civilian and ninja, since, ultimately, both of them do deal with this situation, Naruto wasn't a ninja _yet_, and as such, fell under the horrors that was the civilian council.

Another side effect of training with the Kyuubi, allowed him to rapidly grow, in muscle, maturity, and biologically. He was 16, in every sense of the age, except chronologically. 10 years might be a bit much, but Kyuubi had commented that with such early exposure to his violent youkai, that he body would physically slow aging at 21, his prime, to the point where he would seem even ageless when he was already 31 chronologically.

Amazingly, the Namikaze blood running in his veins already allowed him a sort of exponential growth. While most people could not go past a certain point in various skills, he could. For example, it was considered impossible to run past 55 km/h, even with the most potent and trained shinobi, even other Jinchuuriki would stagger past 40 km/h. However, when Naruto trained with **Kage Bushin**. He found out, he could potentially go in excess of over 60 km/h, and it was even rising! His potentially was only limited by his will to train, and with the helpful feedback of his Shadow Clones, Kyuubi, and even Sarutobi, he was already in a stage of power where most people could not even come close to claiming. However there was always a drawback, in that particular skill of sprinting speed, no one's mind would be fast enough to perceptibly take in his or her's surroundings, a speed that fast could end up dangerous, since his mind could probably not pick the fact that he was running into a tree.

Again, the Namikaze bloodline proved superior in that aspect as well, mental growth was also exponential, and as such, he would be able to see and process thoughts, situations, battle tactics all as one huge supercomputer...on speed. The even more astounding fact was that again, _there was no limit_! He could surpass even that with a smile on his face.

Of course, he wasn't at that level, but the Namikaze bloodline took that in account apparently. It also for faster growth and adaptation of environments. These, combined with his near instant healing factor, gave him a great advantage against unassuming hostile shinobi. Add all this with his never-before-seen-in-this-world weapons and the Sandaime's huge reservoir of jutsus, knowledge, and seals? You probably were asking for a death wish if you were up against him...even if he wasn't aiming to kill, he could take down most ANBU with a number disadvantage, and the element of surprise didn't hurt in the slightest.

As he woke up at the crack of dawn in his bed, he realized that it was probably one of the more compassionate ANBU who had taken him home. Muttering a silent thanks, he got up and preformed his daily rituals. There was a slight change, and instead of the usual bright orange jumpsuit, which did in fact kill any chance of stealth, he dressed up into the clothes when he was in the mindscape. Summoning his weapons took little time, as those were already in the mindscape, ready to be used. Just a little chakra, some concentration, and viola! Some kick-ass weaponry and a bad-ass image, Naruto style. He idly wondered what the reactions of the Old Man Hokage would be.

He knew however, that he was no match for higher ranking shinobi with a numerical disadvantage, he began thinking.

He would need a partner, another Jinchuuriki who could also summon weapons, they would need to compliment each other, and form a dual-team...what was he specialist in again? As he keep walking towards the Hokage tower, he remember that it could be a Multi-role team. But it also most specialized in assassination mission.

He shrugged and made him way past curious, yet heated stares. He subconsciously fingered his pistols as he passed by rather unsavory drunks, luckily enough, they left him alone, for the most part.

He knew that dwelling on partners and such further was pointless until he came across another Jinchuuriki. But then again, where were that chances on that?


	2. Second Shot

A/N: I was planning to update yesterday another chapter, but somehow, when I tried to launch it, all my progress was gone. I know it's an overused excuse but it was true! Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that some actually enjoy this story so here's another chapter!

A/N: This chapter was officially revised on 05/26/11!

Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Naruto, nor do I own the ideas which I employ in this story for my use.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

**Jutsu/Demon Speech**

* * *

_Three years later - Naruto; Age Nine_

Hotaru Misiwa was strolling down a street in a small and corrupt town called Guttai. The town was strategically positioned near the Earth-Fire border and acted as a early-warning alert system for Iwagakure against invaders from Konoha. It was also a trade village until the recent war with Konoha. About a mile away was the site of the battle in which the Yellow Flash had made his debut and earned him the 'Flee On Sight' order in Iwa's bingo books.

Hotaru mentally went over his own and his Superior's guise as he entered a brown building. He himself was a civilian who was interested in purchasing a couple of slave girls for the sole purpose of pleasure, while his superior was Katashi Ridaiku who was a greedy slave chain owner.

In reality, Hotaru was a chunin on orders from the Tsuchikage to relay the defense and outposts of Konohagakure. Katashi was an Elite Jounin, who had first led the invasion onto the Land of Fire's territory. He was there to oversee and possibly improve the condition of their vital checkpoint town.

It was then a shocking surprise as he slowly and cautiously open the door to Katashi's office, finding Katashi sitting at his desk.

Without a _head_.

_W-Wha-? _Had Hotaru not had been so shocked, he would have seen a small, long line of what seemed to be a vortex of air, the diameter roughly around a thumb, coming from the right open window, which led from where his head should have been, to outside. He would have also heard a telltale 'crack' in the distance.

Before he could have done anything else except being shocked, a gaping hole _tore _and _shredded _through his upper left pocket containing the scroll of information of Konoha's lack of ninja and outposts patrolling the Land of Fire's territory. Coincidentally, his heart was situated where the now bleeding hole was positioned.

As he fell back from the...whatever produced that kind of firepower, he was seemingly pushed by a forceful, yet invisible force from behind, making him fall on his face, his eyes already closed for the last time. As it did however, he could see another swirling vortex of air, not unlike the one which decapitated, or blew up Katashi's head. He could also hear a distinct 'crack' off in the distance before he knew no more.

* * *

Naruto was strategically perched upon one of the scarcely few trees in the area. It was actually the site of the battle where the Yondaime Hokage used his **Hiraishin no Jutsu **and earned the reputation of Konoha no Kīroi Senkō.

The treeline was about 1 mile south from the town or so, and was about half a mile from the Earth-Fire border.

As he watched the panicking guards, or rather _ninja_, he contemplated while methodically packing up for a hasty retreat.

When Kyuubi had given him the technologically advanced semi-sentient bullets, he had also said that the era from which he studied these bullets in his human form (yes, he had been shocked about that as well), he said they used a rare mineral called _uranium _and these bullets thrived on _depleted uranium_, which was essentially used uranium. His youkai, powerful as it may be, could not supply enough DU for the shell that Naruto would be expending. So he did what came naturally. No, not making the next best thing, but rather _topping _it with new kinds of shells.

Elemental Shells.

These astounding bullets gave virtually limitless options for using both a sniper and dual pistols. He was absolutely _giddy _at the prospect, because no matter how much he grows in his mind, if you looked hard enough, he was still a nine-year-old at heart. Though back when he heard it, he was still a seven-year-old. The Elemental Shells only used appropriate elements which could add unique qualities or even more devastation to the already astounding firepower that the gun possessed.

Fire was added when a bullet needed a long lasting, single use, covering fire, as the chemicals that Kyuubi's youkai added turned the flames it produced into a violent, sticky, and longer-lasting white phosphorus. It's qualities also rivaled napalm, in which a strip of land could be devastated, in order to halt the enemies advance, or cover his own retreat.

Wind, which was the element he used in order to make sure none of the scroll was left, was used to provide a much greater deal of penetration and stopping power. It could shred through any material and once it was stopped, provide a violent wind through the material which it was stopped by, that quality was the one which had pushed the unfortunate man onto his face. Because it gave a greater deal of penetration than even DU shells, and the subsequent devastation that it would leave behind in it's wake, it was classified as an Anti-Fortress shell. And that term was not given away lightly.

Earth was used when one needed a particular, local and immediate area of effect damage. It would produce an earthquake when the bullet slams onto the ground, stopping at nothing else until it hits dirt. This was particularly useful for toppling down buildings, bunkers, fortresses, defenses, and even just to shake up the enemy from advancing and deteriorate their morale.

Lightning could be used to stun any victim indefinitely. This absolutely and completely shuts down all nervous system, motion or feel, to make sure the subject will not escape...as long as this bullet connects in the first place. The paralytic quality of this element shell is offset by it's lack of penetration and being slightly slower than a non-element enhanced bullet. Despite this, the semi-sentient bullet can also detect ahead of time if the target is already completely stunned. In the chance that too much electrocution would cause brain damage or even complete failure, the bullet simply passes through using the element to safely bypass it, however by then it is almost completely slow.

Ice was duplicated through Kyuubi's youkai, since Naruto just had have enough control to coat the entire bullet. This produced a much thinner but longer bullet, resembling a senbon. But whereas the sniper and a senbon launcher came into play, both produced noise, enough to give away a position if one knew what to hear for. This manipulated Ice bullet, produced absolutely no sound at all. It literally took the laws of physics and made it it's bitch in this one, it completely absorbed/destroyed the sound waves when it exited the barrel and in mid-flight, despite the fact it (and every other bullet, even normal, and especially Wind) was going at hyper-velocity and therefore was going faster than any sound it would have produced. The end result was a silent, accurate, and pin-point bullet which hits with surgical precision. It also, coincidentally, drastically reduced the recoil an elemental shell or normal bullet would make.

Water can be used to manipulate the path of the bullet, in layman's terms, it could _curve_ the bullet. No, you didn't read it wrong either. Through the penetration power is less every time the water shot would curve and by how much, the value of this bullet was unprecedented. It could literally slice through the bodies of up to 4 people before stopping. Up to 7 if used with the sniper's .50 caliber bullet. He already tested it and was able to only curve the bullet in the diameter of an orange for a total of 6 times before losing any and all control. However, on board the bullet was the technological marvel that made it semi-sentient. It meant that when the shot came into contact with an enemy, even if they were further away before actually hitting them, the bullet enters a stage where it would seek out targets without Naruto consciously guiding it every step of the path. Naruto himself modified the somewhat sentient bullet to avoid and protect any chakra signatures he perceived as friendly or neutral. This made it a 'fire-and-forget' bullet for the most part, however he could step in at any time during the bullet's flight to manually take control.

Sand, Metal, Lava, Steam, and Wood elemental qualities would already have been duplicated by other elements, or would just be plain impractical in situations. Any elements that could not be formed with just one element (e.g. Ice requires both Wind and Water) required much more control. Those elements took more control on Naruto's part then what they could provide.

Elemental Shells worked on the same principal as Genjutsu and Chakra Controlling Exercises. It covered or coated the bullet in chakra (or youkai, if applicable). From there, the element would be formed by the sentient, or half sentient on board system, based on the element the user has in mind. It would then be completely be absorbed, using the bullet as the medium. Then the chakra/youkai would be manipulated by the user to take on the characteristics of the element needed, which is like Genjutsu, which manipulates chakra at the target.

This was the most futuristic bullet period. Therefore, having it fall into anyone's hands would be problematic, or _troublesome _as Shikamaru would like to call it (He met Shikamaru on numerous occasions watching the clouds, they had quickly formed a great friendship). The semi-sentient (SS) bullet, in conjunction with Kyuubi's youkai, would literally recycle itself, leaving no trace before, during, or after the process. It would then reform into a backup clip that Naruto would always keep for every gun, this way, once reloaded, any bullets expended from that one would reform in the first clip, which would be situated where a shinobi's regular weapons pouch would be.

The Sniper and Pistols worked on a similar, but much more advanced use of projectile launching. Since gunpowder was non existent for one reason or another, senbon, shuriken, and kunai launchers relied on taut string. It gave the projectile terminal velocity, which was faster than what any human could produce, even with chakra. However, his projectile instruments of death, relied on a series of magnets, which would be self-empowered from a little cold fusion, located in the gun's stock. This gave it the extra ability to expel electricity to shock any unauthorized users and produce a distinct energy signal, compared to firing off a flare on which only authorized users could clearly see up to 50 miles, the extent to which it could be detected was not fully tested as of yet.

The magnets would be activated by the trigger system, which explodes the bullets outwards into the curved barrel, this system was named the MAP series which stood for Magnetically Accelerated Projectile System. The MAP system allowed any non-element enhanced SS bullet to reach hyper-velocity, very much beyond the speed of sound.

As Naruto made his way into Konoha territory, he also went over his 3 years after obtaining the weapons and goal he set himself out for.

* * *

_Flashback - Three years ago - Naruto; Age Six_

_Takes place right after the events of Chapter One_

Sarutobi looked over the blond Jinchuriki's weapons with something akin to admiration. Even the Professor could not help but be enthralled by the lost technology to which Kyuubi had given him.

_Certainly a hell of compensation. _He thought as gently rubbed his hand through the barrel of the sniper and the blade of the katana, feeling it's smooth texture. "You know we're going to have to keep this secret from just about everyone else right?"

Naruto smirked "Wouldn't have it any other way, but how am I supposed to keep it secret from shinobi right here when I become a ninja?" He said the last part with a curious glance, he already told the Old Man that he wanted to served, with a free will, the village without spending unnecessary time in it.

The Sandaime Hokage grinned and signed a paper on top his desk, which was flanked by the seemingly _growing _paperwork, and handed it to Naruto with the pen.

"That little piece of paper grants you the traveling rights of a Sannin and exclusive rights for being answerable to me and future Hokages, in light of this, I have decided to give you the rank of Solo Operative. It is changeable only by me and while a future Hokage can change it, you cannot be demoted past jounin. I used a marker in order to create this with any interference from the council. The only other time I have used a marker was in declaring it forbidden to speak of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox." was the judgment of the wizened Hiruzen Sarutobi and to the joy of a six-year-old Naruto.

"And so, I will ask you this one question, what is your goal now?" asked a curious Hiruzen. A month ago, it would have been obvious to say "become the Hokage, believe it!" from Naruto's mouth. But lately, he had revealed another personality, though for good or bad, is left to be unseen.

Naruto looked up from grinning and spoke "To serve my village and make a name both feared and respected"

* * *

From there on, Naruto trained under the close scrutiny and strict criticism of Sarutobi, Kyuubi, and even Jiraiya. The 'Gama Sennin' had trained him in the arts of sealing and the Rasengan. Naruto, true to Kyuubi's word, turned out to be a sponge soaking up everything and improving upon it. He became a certified Seal Master, valuable beyond all reason because of the sparse teachings in fuinjutsu. Using the idea of elemental shells, he mastered the Rasengan within a week, shocking all who saw him train (though he had cheated somewhat with **Kage Bushin**) and improved the Rasengan to the point where he could minimize it into the barrel of his sniper or both of his pistols at the same time.

Though the **Wind Release: Bullet Rasengan **was actually less powerful than his elemental shells because the shell provided a physical medium, it could be preformed in an instant, allowing him to bypass the difficulties of reloading in mid-battle in a crucial situation, for a short while. The Bullet Rasengan required a large amount of concentration and had less distance, while also having less power the further it goes, it can still devastate a target over two hundred yards and obliterate anything under fifty yards.

He became no slouch at using his katana in the slightest, always practicing his katas, which he formed with the help of Kyuubi's knowledge. He used the training as a form of meditation as well, and helped him relax. At hearing this, both Sarutobi and Jiraiya winced. _Nine years old and already needing to relax?_

It wasn't entirely unfounded, Naruto had accomplished both goals already, though he would always continue to serve. These were his stats in all the bingo books across the Elemental Countries:

**Name/Title/Alias(es): **_Lone Marksman; One Shot_

**Rank: **_S-Rank Shinobi of Konohagakure; Solo Operative_

**Place of Birth: **_Konohagakure_

**Known Associates: **_Blue Blur; (When in tandem) Gold Duo_

**Bounty: **_11.5 Million Ryo_

**Distinguishing Features: **_Blond Hair, 5'4, Male_

**Known Places to be Spotted: **_Konohagakure_

**Distinctive Method: **_Always one or further miles away from target, is never willingly seen up close._

**Known Weapons: **_Long-Ranged Projectile Launcher; Two Short-Ranged Projectile Launchers; Dark Black Katana_

There was only one mission that had caused him to use his Katana and be seen up close with the enemy. It took place in Kumogakure.

As he past the halfway point to Konoha, he met up with his partner. She was distinctly feminine, as shown by her build, she carried weapons that resembled his own, but had different functions. She was called the 'Second'. The irony was almost suffocating.

He met her in Kumogakure, during the one mission that had forced him to play his hand. The one mission which granted him a capable partner, and unstoppable duo.

Her name was Yugito Nii.

* * *

I had already told you guys in the first chapter's A/N that I already included her as a possible pairing because she would be his partner. Naruto will always be classified as a Special Operative, the same as Yugito. When they form up, then they will be given another name, for which I am still working on, any good ideas?

I'm working on the finer details of Naruto's abilities (e.g. Should I make a bloodline, or new technological marvel?) as well as Yugito.

Her story, as well as her weapons, abilities, and other stuff will explained next chapter.

Oh, and does anyone else get the gag I came up with in the final portion of the chapter, Second? If someone can guess all 4 references (2 of them are well-known), then they get a cyber cookie! ALL HAIL TEH COOKIEZ!


	3. Forward Unto Lightning

A/N: Well, here's Chapter 3 of _Naruto: Lone Marksman_. Hopefully I get some more reviews with this as well! Also, I miscalculated the amount of references in the last chapter:

1 - Yugito Nii is the jailer of the Nibi no Nekomata (Two-Tailed Demon Cat)

2 - Yugito is Naruto's number Two (Partner/Right hand Woman)

3 - Yugito was introduced in Chapter Two titled 'Second Shot'

4 - Yugito Nii; Ni is the Japanese translation for 'Two', while Nii is actually 'Second Place'

A/N: This chapter was officially revised, such as the past ones, at 05/26/11!

Disclaimer: I do NOT, repeat, do NOT own Naruto or anything that might seem related to other movies/anime/manga/games/books.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

**Jutsu/Demon Speech**

* * *

It was supposed to be a simple mission. It was a simple S+ Ranked Mission, that he had requested. It was going to have a huge impact on Konoha's future. It was a simple get in, observe stealthily, and get out; only escalated by a huge degree. Failure was simply not an option. Naruto once again went over the contents of the scroll he held in his left hand as the exited the Konoha Gate in the direction of Lightning Country.

* * *

**S+ Rank Mission**

**Warning: All participants in the mission are to have the following requirements before taking the mission.**

**35 B Ranks; 20 A Ranks/A+ Ranks; 5+ S Ranks**

**Expected Time Duration of Mission - 2 Weeks**

**Deadline - 3 weeks from Mission Assignment**

**Mission Location - Lightning Country; Kumogakure**

**Recommended Participants - 3+ ANBU specialist; Tracker and Evasion Specialist Required**

**Participant(s) (Official) - Naruto Uzumaki**

**Mission Specs:**

**Target is Yugito Nii, who houses the Nibi no Nekomata. The mission to observe the subject, while adhering to ANBU operation rules and rules of engagement. Secondary target is to observe Kirabi, who houses the Hachibi no Kyogyu. They are 1st ranked Priority subjects, Konohagakure is in desperate need to find a counter to other nations' Jinchuriki.**

**Kumogakure is a serious threat due to the fact they possess two Jinchuriki. Both are highly trained 'One-Man-Army's and 'Army-Killers' and Kumo has the option to devote one to offense while having one for defense at any time.**

**Notes: Yugito Nii was previously an ANBU ninja, currently Jounin, and while most of her exploits are known, her behavior and actually skill level, as well as jutsu, are not. Kirabi has an official rank of Jounin and called the 'Guardian of Kumogakure', having a genin team under his command (Details Not Included), however, it is speculated he possesses skill on par, or even surpassing Sannin-level, his brother is the current Raikage.**

**Description of Target(s):**

**Yugito Nii - 5'6, blond hair, lightly-tan, brown-eyed, possesses cat-like traits.**

**Kirabi - 6'4, white hair, dark tan, mid 30s, always seen with shades, possesses up to seven swords as weaponry.**

**This is an S+ Rank Priority Mission, as per protocol, the contents of this scroll MUST not fall into unauthorized persons. You are authorized to use lethal force if absolutely necessary, only for escaping. If mission is believed to be compromised, destroy this scroll and travel into Earth Country and lose anyone that is pursuing.**

**Payment(s):**

**Primary and Secondary - Failed; Compromised - 0 Ryo / Not Compromised - 0 Ryo**

**Primary - Complete, Secondary - Failed; Compromised - 350,000 Ryo / Not Compromised - 850,000 Ryo**

**Primary - Failed, Secondary - Complete; Compromised - 515,000 Ryo / Not Compromised - 895,000 Ryo**

**Primary and Secondary - Complete; Compromised - 3.4 Million Ryo / Not Compromised - 9.3 Million Ryo**

* * *

Naruto approached Kumogakure from the north-east. He set it up, because that direction was nothing but cold, desolate mountains. It would make a serious issue trying to depart to Konoha, or worse yet, trying to escape, or any other country since Lightning country was simply nothing but mountains and high elevation. Konoha and all the other countries were to the south west. In order to get to Iwa or Konoha, he would have to travel all the way around Kumo, and when fleeing, that would prove problematic. It was hard enough trying to maintain stealth while traveling the highlands in order to get to the north-east of Kumo.

He set up 'shop' about 1.5 kilometers from Kumo, it was a nice, spacious cave that had make pathways to the outside, which pointed away from the village. The better news was that he could set up his sniper rifle on the huge room of the cave which had a nice view of Kumo, in the distance. (A/N: If you need a visual, search up the last movie of Halo Legends, the one with 3 ODST and the Girl Spartan)

As he set up the more mundane things using Shadow Clones, Kami he loved that jutsu, he started searching for targets through the scope. The sniper was currently not-loaded, more out of habit than precaution. If they wanted an observation, then they would get one without a hitch, that included accidental shots, silenced or not. The slightest mistake can turn a huge payday into an all-expense paid trip to the village's Torture and Interrogation unit.

When the cross hairs landed on a remarkably beautiful and elegant lady with blond hair, his heart had initially lifted into his throat. Ruthlessly squashing down any thoughts and emotions, he remember that the lady's description perfectly matched the dossier on her, and he mentally labeled her as 'potentially huge threat'.

Meanwhile in Naruto's mind scape:

The Kyuubi chuckles, in the empty space that was his cage and the sewer that it was led out of, it was the only noise, which boomed against the water that made up the ground.

**"Ah Nibi, so long since we have met...and since a deceptively powerful host as well as my own!" **Kyuubi knew that he had to set them up. He wasn't usually for matchmaking, but putting both Jinchuriki's on a team would do nothing but increase their lifespan and power. A total combined power of 11 tails would greatly trump any other of the Jinchuriki and any other shinobi would be nothing but a mere pest.

As it stands, Kyuubi already had access to whatever Naruto was seeing, as well as his entire mind, despite what the seal was designed to do. Kyuubi didn't have to do a thing, the young man was already developing more than just a mere crush on the young woman. The mighty Nine-Tailed Fox knew that Naruto found her beauty captivating.

* * *

An hour had passed.

That hour changed into 23 more hours like it.

The next day came and went. He had to admit, the sunset here rivaled Konoha's own, seeing as the sunlight reflected off the rocks much as it reflected off the grass and leaves back home.

Before he knew it, an entire week and a half had disappear during his observations.

As he made his Shadow Clones pack up everything except the sniper that he himself was still holding, he went over what he had found, to be soon placed into a scroll for a mission complete.

He found Yugito Nii to be a very loyal and helpful squad mate. She turned up to act more cat-like than perhaps she wanted to let on. She adamantly refuses any advances, and personally took care of those who were persistent in their advances; it looked like she was experienced in that kind of thing. She was loyal to the Raikage and Kumo, leading him to believe that the Raikage knew and exploited this. Her favorite food was sushi, while she preferred milk to drink with it, prompting an eyebrow raised by Naruto and shaken heads by both Kirabi and his Genin team. Her relationship with Kirabi was a good friendship, which he didn't know why he found so relieving. Apparently, Kirabi had looked up to her for her extreme skills, despite the age comparison, which he admitted she was an amazing kunoichi judging from what he saw in the now destroyed training ground that he spied her on the second day.

He heard her story, which she had told to Kirabi, while in her house...even a privacy jutsu was easily bypassed with a remote hearing dart on an adjacent house. Since privacy jutsu kept sound in through chakra, the dart used another chakra disruptor, noticeable to only the direct user of the privacy seal. That meant that unless the privacy seal was constantly maintained by a person with high-detection skills, which was unlikely since the self-maintaining seal supported it for an easier and more secure privacy jutsu, the dart allowed hearing at a specific spot for an unrestrained amount of time.

In her younger days, her caretaker had betrayed her long-built up trust by giving her to a slave chain. Luckily, she avoided being raped by any of her owners and eventually was admitted to the ninja program of Kumogakure. She was shunned and glared at from the villagers, and her goal was to become a skilled kunoichi who would be never weak again. That was her vow. Luckily for her, as she earned a fearsome reputation, the villagers started to look at her in a better light.

He found her favorite saying to be 'Cats have nine lives'. He also found out that she played a 3-stringed guitar called the _shamisen_. She had a lovely talent for music, her own signing was almost enough to go right up to her and ask for a date, inhibitions be damned.

Kirabi had his own, more _eccentric _quirks. He was an obsessed rapper whose rhymes was enough to be that big of a detractor to the ladies around him, which he was oblivious to the fact. He treated his genin team as a little brother and sisters when in private with them.

He was extremely protective of his rhymes and was seemingly provoked by anyone who insulted them. Naruto, however, could see that he was kind man in private, or with those he trusted, like his brother, who was the Raikage, A.

He was extremely proficient in using a double handed sword style and even showed off his infamous seven-sword kenjutsu style as well.

Yugito was currently wandering around Kumo's wide park area, with Kirabi and his genin team on a C - Ranked Escort Mission. For split second she turned towards his location and he held his breath, accidently giving his Shadow Clones the mental order to do the same.

_T-Theres no way she can see me...right? _Naruto futilely tried to reassure himself.

Despite the distance between them, the Nibi had suddenly clued her into her stalker, the distance and location all included. She reacted before she could have the chance to be more subtle and looked straight at the position. She could catch a glint of light hitting back at her.

It turned out to be Naruto's scope which betrayed his position.

* * *

In an instant both reacted, Naruto redoubled safety precautions while packing up his sniper, he began to judge the direction he would need to avoid pursuit on a map that he carried with him.

Yugito herself had **Shunshin**ed to the Raikage's office, who had promptly dispatched her and two other squads of ANBU in that located to detain, and if necessary kill, the spy. The Nine Kumo ninja had immediately left north, north-east in the direction of mountain off in the background.

As they closed in the range of the mountain, a nearby rock on the halfway point between the mountain and village had disappear into smoke.

The Shadow Clone transmitted the information to Naruto, who had already sealed all of his things except his weapons into a scroll. He already destroyed the mission scroll which destroyed any chance of gaining the high amount possible for this mission, but safety took precedence over money.

As he slapped in a fresh clip into the sniper, he exited the mountain complex and immediately left west at top speed. Unfortunately, the ANBU had anticipated this and there was a squad waiting for him at a clearing between mountains. The valley formed by the two high mountains prevented any path other than straight through the village.

Naruto immediately grounded to a stop while lined up a shot with the second to leftmost ANBU who had already pulled out a kunai. His adept sight in technique honed for 4 years, he quickly squeezed the trigger and already was sighting to the person right to him.

The man's head exploded into a shower of blood, the shocked ANBU had taken one more second than usual to contemplate how fast that was, and that was two seconds too late as Naruto snapped his sights onto the one to the right of him. The entire right flank had literally lost their heads in a matter of a second. The remaining two men had decided to close the distance by splitting up and circling Naruto and get him within their kill range, they saw his weapon and had judged it too unwieldy to be much use in a close combat situation.

Naruto had already anticipated this. _Played like a sucker. _Naruto smirked and placed his sniper onto his back while pulling out his pistols in rapid succession. He pulled off a double tap with each instrument and watched apathetically as both men fell with two holes each punched their way through their hearts.

However, their objective was already complete. The other ANBU unit plus one entered the large rocky clearing opposite Naruto. As they stared each other down, Yugito and the ANBU brandishing their kunai and readying their lightning techniques and Naruto fingering his pistols, the ground around him colored with the blood of the four slaughtered, the silenced thickened. The other source of sound being the winds whipping against the jagged rocks around them.

A pebble from a nearby hill decided to fall to the ground, as soon as it touched the ground, the five disappear as if on an unseen cue.

All five Kumo shinobi launched a wave of kunai and shuriken, imbued with lightning chakra. Naruto responded in kind by firing a pair of Wind bullets and letting their semi-sentient function work while prepared another pair of Fire shots, holding his ground.

The bullets themselves only took out two of the kunai while the wind released from the bullets took the rest out. The resulting chaotic winds shredded the body of an man who was unfortunate enough to be in front and not have enough time to retreat back, since all of them advanced with the metal hailstorm, not able to believe that he would somehow take all of them out. Somehow the winds that shredded him had lost enough power that they could not duplicate the same results on the remaining four ninja, but rather turned into a slightly uncomfortably strong, but harmless breeze.

Yugito had quickly reacted and dodged to the right, using Nibi's partially transformed state as she barely caught sight of the two more speeding projectiles that made their way towards the other 3 recovering ANBU personnel. They too had dodged backwards, but were instantly caught in the flames from the Fire bullets. The white phosphorus flames clung onto their fire-resistant ANBU armor and grew when they tried rolling and snuffing it out; even when they tried Water jutsu.

The white phosphorus flames fed on the chakra of whatever they clung to, whether be it grass, plants, humans, even rocks and the very air itself. It could even bypass the need to feed on oxygen for a short while this way as well.

As the anguished screams died down, Naruto soon found out that the task of connecting any bullets of his to the rather _flexible _feline, Naruto inwardly blushed as Kyuubi chuckled loudly at that thought, was quickly becoming an annoying task. She was twisting and jumping enough that his shots were too far off even with the elemental after-effects. He decided to unleashed a pair of of Water shots, followed immediately by a pair of Earth and Lightning bullets.

Yugito reluctantly admitted that the man she was facing was incredibly skilled. He knew that he could remain back while still at the offensive, forcing herself to keep dodging and using her energy to keep that up. Even with Nibi's assistance and her chakra she was using up much more stamina than her opponent, since all he had to do was point and shoot, and even though her Necromancy jutsu forced him to keep himself on his toes, the elements that the pieces of metal spewed out destroyed every barrier of bones and smashed any slow skeleton warriors she called upon.

She placed her left hand down on the ground and transitioned her weight into it while also picking up her legs in order to dodge two water projectiles curving in an attempt to dismember her right leg. As she was about to push off her hand in order to regain her footing at a different location, a sudden tremble in the earth disabled her balance and she was forced to preform a barrel roll in front of her and hopefully close in the distance for a chance at the offensive. It was apparent that the rather _handsome _male, at which Yugito had gained a slight reddish hue on her face when Nibi giggled seductively, was a great tactician and knew how to keep his opponents at a constant disadvantage.

However, as she righted herself and prepared for a spring towards her enemy, her torso was slammed by a pair of shots imbued with the lightning element. She knew the after-effects of such a element in her body and instantly tried to mold her chakra in order to combat and nullify the electricity before it caused too much time being wasted before he shot again.

She was horrified to learn she lost all motor and chakra control, and her body hit the ground numbly. The Lightning Element in those blunted metal had been extremely potent and controlled, it disabled even the pain aspect of the nerves and she knew this because a bruise would form on her back where it impacted with the unforgiving stone ground.

As she stared into the cloudy skies that Lightning Country was infamous for, she learned that the paralyzing didn't affect four things: the ability to look around, breathe, and talk and hear. Though every other Raiton jutsu she knew always left the pain aspect for nerves in interrogations, but left a slight chance to breaking out of it.

She knew she was defeated, as she heard the agonizingly slow footsteps of her adversary approach.

As the blond man stepped into her line of vision, his face slightly obscured by the shadows, he placed the weapon threateningly at her face. He, for some unknown reason did not take the shot, ad he would have the perfect chance while he was still quite a ways back. She had to know...

"Who were you looking for?" She started out slowly, hoping to at least find out why a fearsome person such as the _Lone Marksman _was in Kumogakure. But, he took his time with her now, and the only real value she had was...

Her eyes widened as he replied "Nii Yugito, container of the Two-Tailed Demon Cat, and Kirabi, container of the Eight-Tailed Demon Ox"

_So, he knew...not that it was _that _much of a secret anyway. _Her eyes narrowed and she asked once more "You know who I am no doubt...but who...who are you?"

She knew the man was surprised the by the way the weapon shook almost imperceptibly in his hands. As blue eyes met her own brown, cold and piercing blue versus firm yet understanding brown, he replied.

"Uzumaki Naruto"

Naruto held back biting his tongue and cringed slightly. He had not meant to get so involved with the target. He was supposed to kill the threat, it would immensely bolster Konoha's morale while also diminishing Kumo's own.

As he was about to pull the trigger, a honed instinct of his _screamed _at him to move back.

He jumped back, and the ground where he stood was instantly flattened by a fast moving boulder the size of a two-story house moving fast enough to topple the Hokage Tower. As the boulder slammed into the surrounding landscape, he immediately holstered his pistols and once again using the sniper, as it could counter any more brute forces like that.

"Yugito!/Yugito-sempai!" Were the voices of Kirabi and his genin team. They came into the direction of where he was heading and Naruto cursed, he had to either bypass them by going further north, away from where he was to supposed to shake pursuit, or going straight through, which he knew would not be an easy task.

As Kirabi settled into a two-sword stance, his genin team pulling out their own weapons and readying their techniques, he knew he had screwed up. Kyuubi, deep in his subconscious, already he knew that he had played his cards right, it was the only way to obtain at least a bit more freedom, so he had to rely of Naruto's forming emotions with the girl to keep him anchored with a purpose in life.

"Well, _fuck_ me sideways..." were the grim words of the Lone Marksman.

* * *

Well, sorry but I might be taking a bit long in other updates, trying to adjust to typing a couple hundred more words each chapter. Was the battle scene adequate? Please review! It's the sole motivator for me typing up these stories! Thanks!


	4. Lightning's Crescendo

A/N: Sorry! Sorry, my work had already been deleted due to saving it in the wrong format. I had to spend another day recreating what I already wrote...

Anyway, I'm sure you'll want me to get on with it, so here it is! The second half of the Lightning Arc.

A/N: This last of the forgotten/left-to-rot chapters, as the rest, were officially revised on 05/26/11!

Disclaimer; No matter how similar it is, I do not own any show/anime/book/or any other types of series, if it happens to be exactly similar or something, it's coincidence.

"Talking"

_Thinking_

**Demon Speech/Jutsu**

* * *

_1.8 miles north-west Kumo, 2.1 miles east of Earth/Lightning border, 5.3 miles north-east Fire/Lightning border. 14:35, May 14th_

Naruto was analyzing every detail on the ensuring battle. He would need to somehow bypass Kirabi and his genin team. He knew some information on the Genin Team, which was called Team Samui, led by the blond who went by that name, their leader. Another female on the team was a tanned skinned, red-head. She carried a short katana and was called Karui. The last member was the only male on the team, excluding Kirabi. He also was dark skinned, but he had white hair, and he also carried a sword on his back, he was named Omoi.

The term 'Genin Team' was a misnomer for this team, as they were all already Chunin, but they kept together and their interactions with each other, namely the arguments between Karui and Omoi, and gave the impression of a veteran genin team.

A High-Jounin level kunoichi out of the fight could cause a scale to be tipped in his favor, as they would have to guard Yugito from being hit by a stray shot from his weapon. The three mid to high-chunin would most likely guard her, freeing up the container for the Eight-Tailed Demon Ox to fight him.

Kirabi was easily High-ANBU to Sannin level, and Naruto was outnumbered, as the three-man team would not hesitate to get in a cheap shot or two in order for Kirabi to finish up.

Naruto _could_ shoot Yugito before the genin team reached her, but it would open up a huge opportunity for all four of them to take, and Naruto had no intention of returning to Konoha in a body bag, that is, if they don't incinerate him on the spot.

He would have no choice but to instantly move to a different spot and get a better angle of attack, after all it was better if he could have more than one option to attack. He knew that the four would be informed of his abilities once Yugito told Team Samui, who then would yell that out of Kirabi. It seemed that he was royally screwed that he decided not to take the shot. It seemed he would have to get serious.

As the two remaining combat-ready Jinchuriki charged up in their respective jailed tenants' chakra, Karui started it off with unleashing a short-ranged area of effect "**Lightning Release: Bolt**!" It was a low C-ranked technique, it was fairly fast however, and would have left Naruto heavily disadvantaged had he been hit, which would be the reason he hastily dodged by heading towards his left and up a small incline of rock. As Team Samui rushed to get Yugito into a protective triangle, Kirabi charged with his two swords, while also picking up and throwing another boulder to cover his approach.

Naruto stopped and fired off a wind bullet from his sniper rifle and prepared another shot for when Kirabi would be stunned by the rushing winds. He was not prepared for when the boulder was shattered into pieces by Kirabi's own attack, the pieces of the rock easily overwhelming the bullet and the wind element that came with it, Naruto was forced to further retreat, but Kirabi was faster, having been already in mid-charge.

Kirabi swung down his swords in an attempt to cripple, kill, or disable either him, or his weapon. He was surprised as the sniper, with which Naruto had parried both of his swords, held fast and was unrelenting. It turned into a battle of strength as both Naruto and Kirabi both gained and lost tiny inches of ground from their opponent.

Naruto was slowly losing however, as he could not compare to the older Jounin, he was still beyond very young at this point either way, along with the fact that his sniper was busy parrying the swords in an overhead position, a position which did not leave much to gain with. He kicked both his own weapon, and that of Kirabi's and both took to flying into the air. Naruto threw a punch in order to get a first shot, but Kirabi blocked it and raised his knee to Naruto's stomach.

Naruto blocked the attempt with his left elbow and threw his now free right hand at Kirabi's head. Kirabi moved slightly back as he anticipated a palm strike, or something of the sort. His eyes widened as he realized as the blond was actually going for the falling sniper rifle. Naruto grabbed it and charged both his own perfect chakra controlled burst and that of Kyuubi's into the already tough metal that was Kyuubi's youkai in pure, physical form.

Kirabi was blown back towards his team of three apprentices, but was able to recover both of his swords. He was _not_ expecting him to slam the butt of the weapon at his torso. He had also detected a foul energy source, comparable to his own youkai, but even more malicious, if that was even possible.

There was a pause, shocking in it's tranquility, as both Jinchuriki stared down one another. It wasn't Konoha vs Kumo, neither was it Nine vs Eight. It was simply two warriors fighting for their own reason, what they believed is right. When these two ideals clash, only one is left standing, the other one is busy wondering what went wrong.

As Kirabi pulled out all of his swords and got into his unique and deadly stance, Naruto was busy with maintaining his chakra, since his reserves were too vast, especially for such a young age, his drawback was to constantly maintain usable and reserve chakra, too much usable and all of techniques would be unusable, too much reserve and his techniques would lack the bang that it would need to be effectively used, also his position would be likened to a flare in a night sky, meaning he would destroy all chance at stealth that a sniper would absolutely be needed.

Kirabi charged again, this time much faster, despite the swords being locked in joints that required a much slower approach to be kept locked. Naruto launched a Earth and Wind double tap. Kirabi spun in his charge, stopping for a much more deadlier speed. It deflected both bullets long before their elements had a chance to touch him. As Kirabi resumed his charge, Naruto placed his sniper in favor of his deep black katana, holding it tightly in his right hand.

As he steadied himself, three of the spinning form struck his katana. Another two had grazed his torso and leg, the gashes were not life-threatening. Ignoring the pain, Naruto took advantage of the absolutely stopped Kirabi and thrust his own blade into a sword that was locked in his armpit, as it flew outwards, Naruto continued with an elbow to his chest. Kirabi had to suck in a breath unexpectedly, but moved back slightly from Naruto's fierce counter-slash. He turned all of his remaining six swords towards the blond and pushed ahead, knowing that at least one would have caused a lethal wound.

Naruto knew he would be quickly overtaken in a close quarters battle with the man, so he would have to reveal a few of his hidden trump cards. he put his sword on his back and he gathered all of his reserve chakra into every chakra opening he had, not unlike the Hyuuga's Kaiten or **Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin**, but instead of rapidly spinning to counter or block, he slammed his left fist onto the ground and released all the pent up chakra, using Kyuubi's youkai and his own superb control to contain it into a small field, and having the small reactors on his pistols and sniper to revert the field into a thin, unrelenting, glowing blue armor that was only one or two inches off his body.

When Kirabi's swords slammed against the bright blue barrier, the attack was easily repelled, along with himself back a few feet away. As Naruto remained in the crouched over state, 5 pair of eyes widened as they witnessed the now sparking field upon the immobile blond figure.

"What...what are you...Naruto Uzumaki" Yugito managed to get out, Team Samui had heard her, but everyone's eyes were on Naruto. He released the fixed, but rapidly unstable barrier in a flash of chakra, slightly blinding all who had been staring at him, even the shaded-eyes of Kirabi.

Naruto grinned as he stood up and said the designation of the barrier technique: **Chakra Art: Chakra Lock**!

The Chakra Lock technique provided a small impenetrable field that surrounding only the user, rendering him immobile as the user had to have at least three contact points with the ground in order to further stabilize the field, four works better but does not allow for the user to retain his field of sight. The field can be set up anytime, anywhere as long his the user had enough chakra for the minimum of three seconds, on any surface. It also provides a great chakra control exercise as the best tier, even better than element control. The barrier can stay as long as the user can provide stability, but can be canceled anytime. This results in a loss of some chakra, as reserves can take a hit, but some are reverted back into the user's system.

Close contact with the Chakra Lock Jutsu results in being heavily repelled, reacting only by force, but simply standing near the barrier when active is not enough to repel anyone. The chakra that is being stabilized emits a strong beacon to any nearby enemies, so it is not recommended for stealth, but the burst of chakra that is emitted when the technique is released, whether by force, lack of stability to maintain further, or willingly canceling the jutsu, is very effective against dojustu users such as the Byakugan, **All-Seeing Eye**, and the Sharingan, **Copy Wheel Eye**, and works very much like a flash bang against them. It was a great reactive defense barrier for sticky situations, but had no offensive capabilities.

As Kirabi once again got into a stance, Naruto quickly fired an Earth bullet at his feet with the sniper he quickly pulled out. Kirabi was unable to spin around and block it, as none of his swords would not reach it in time, and the four other spectators watched in horror as Kirabi was sent into the air by the cracking earth below him, as he tried to right himself in mid-air Naruto launched his **Rasengan Bullet **into the still exploding Earth and watched as the enraged rocks quickly spin in different directions, ruthlessly attacking Kirabi, who could do nothing but shield his face from the barrage. Kirabi was calling on his own tenant to heal his injuries and attack as well.

Naruto knew he had to end it before the Jinchuriki's quickly forming demonic youkai overstepped it's boundaries. He quickly ran to the point where he would land while doing seals. He called out another jutsu that was also another original work of his, **Fūton: Naruto no Jutsu**!**; Wind Release: Maelstrom Technique**!

A large wind barrier covered him, this time it spread out into a semi-circle which surrounded him. The wind barrier worked like a Rasengan, but suited for protection. It was a much stronger variant however, as it surrounded the user with multi-directional high speed winds and could stand up to anything, even it's own elemental weakness, fire, and ten rasengans at point blank at different points at the same time. He let some of Kyuubi's youkai encase the technique in order to counter the Hachibi's own youkai.

It was a tad egotistical to name a technique after himself, Naruto mused, but 'Maelstrom' fit the technique quite nicely, besides it _was _an A-rank technique.

Kirabi slammed into the barrier and his youkai was instantly shredded. He had no remaining chakra and fell onto the rocky ground, gasping for air. He was in bad shape, the youkai-enhanced winds tore into his skin, cutting new gashes along with the swirling rocks that Naruto had released earlier.

Naruto pulled both both of his pistols while putting away his swords, he pointed one at Kirabi and another at Team Samui and Yugito. The latter two froze in shock, the _Lone Marksman _had pulled off three unique techniques and taken down Kumo's best shinobi, aside from the Raikage himself.

Again, Naruto hesitated in pulling the trigger, he knew such a hesitation could cost him his life, but could not find the will to kill people who had experienced the same emotions as himself. The blond marksman shook his head and put away his weapons. He slowly walked in the direction of Konoha.

5 sets of eyes followed him, Kirabi coughed up some blood, but managed to get out: "...Why didn't you...kill any of us?"

Naruto stopped but didn't look back. Looking back was a sign of regret. _Weakness_. "...Grow stronger, so that this may never happen to you ever again. All Jinchuriki must face this pain, and power"

And with that cryptic message sent, he disappeared into the horizon. Two sets of ideals did in fact clash, and one was left standing, able to move forward. The other was shaken to the core.

* * *

_Thirty Minutes Later, Rocky clearing south-west Kumogakure_

Yugito was furious, _livid _in fact. Having two squads of ANBU killed and thoroughly humiliated had left a bitter taste in the Raikage's mouth. He had blamed it on Yugito, who had the time was still immobilized and vulnerable. She had been stripped of her kunoichi status and severely punished. She now sported bruises along her chin, bottom lip, left eye, torso and her back. Kirabi, Samui, Omoi, and Karui helped her make her escape, knowing their status as Kumo's Guardian and Apprentices would allow them to get off easier than anyone else who tried the same. They fought the Raikage and ANBU, jounin, and some chunin off-duty while Yugito headed towards the one man that she knew could help her.

Ironically, but not too surprisingly, it was Naruto Uzumaki, the _Lone Marksman_.

She knew he was strong, yet caring. She knew he wouldn't treat her as a 'Demon' because of his own status. She was an expert in the trade of assassinations and infiltrations, and she knew how to read every sign that Naruto had unwittingly gave. So she headed south-west to possibly meet up with him before he reach Konoha.

Despite being injured and Naruto being relatively fine, she beat him halfway to Konoha, Naruto had simply recognized her chakra signature and stood in a clearing, waiting for Yugito to catch up.

"At first, I though you were searching me for a rematch or something like that, but seeing you more injured than I had left you in Lightning country and the fact that there was no other chakra signatures in this particular route at this time makes me wonder." Naruto said. He was twitching at the fact that the Kyuubi was laughing about something about 'victory' and 'I love it when a plan comes together' or something like that. Tuning him out, he began to listen to the fellow blond Jinchuriki who was telling her story of why she wanted to join him.

Naruto easily replied that she would need to contact Nibi to form her own weapons to be his partner. She had agreed, but said that Nibi told her that she had no idea what weapons Naruto was using during their fight. Kyuubi offered a solution at that point, telling Naruto that there was a way to talk from tenant to tenant so he could relay his own knowledge. Naruto contemplated on this for awhile, then agreed, He could easily persuade the Sandaime Hokage to let her join Konoha, despite tensions from the Konoha-Kumo Hyuuga incident, as it was called. Sending a messenger bird ahead of them in order to bypass any hassles ahead of time, they began to walk a slow pace towards Konoha, beginning a partnership. Naruto knew that she wasn't exactly hard on the eyes, and had let her know this. Surprisingly, instead of reacting negatively to his flirting, she had actually blushed and looked away.

At this point, Naruto wasn't dense at all when it came to girls, having Jiraiya as a mentor had helped, depending on your view, him through that subject, and he was beginning to smile much more often. She had feelings and so did he. It was mutual. Now the last problem was to punch through the wall named 'awkwardness' that stood between them. And Naruto would easily get rid of that in the coming months and sessions of training.

It was during which Yugito had commented how sadistic of a teacher that Naruto, Kyuubi, and Nibi had been, resulting in bouts of chuckles from all involved parties.

Eventually, Naruto told her his story and actual age. She was shocked that his past was even more tragic than her own, and had kissed him in an attempt to cheer him up, as his mood had deteriorated while telling her his story. Needless to say, his mood had particularly brightened that day. She really didn't mind the relatively big age difference of thirteen years between the two. (In Shippuden, Yugito was twenty-nine years old and Naruto was sixteen himself. So if Naruto is currently nine, then she is twenty-two, but Naruto has the appearance of being nineteen due to Kyuubi's influence and training.) In fact she was horrified that a child this young needed power at the age of six for survival from his own village. She really didn't care about the public's stance on her relationship with Naruto. In fact, Naruto shown a surprising amount of maturity and dedication that most adults could only hope to acquire.

Luckily, Naruto, and by proxy herself, once the Sandaime agreed to let her join, lived in a rather isolated area away from Konoha, but was close enough to the marketplace and Hokage's Tower. If it had been otherwise, she would have gone on an immediate rampage, which would not do for being a foreign ninja and would destroy any chance trust. She was instated as a Special Operative, alongside Naruto.

Nibi's youkai was able to form four different sets of weapons. The first was a set of throwing knives, it was colored a deep blue and black. She would always have nine at anytime, as any that was expended would reform in her new weapon pouch. (She later commented how similar to the nine-lives about cats and thought it a good luck charm, at which Naruto rolled his eyes, they later fought with Yugito being the victor in a match of tongue wrestling. Apparently she pouted and complained how he didn't take her seriously. He then replied that she was simply beautiful when she pouted.)

The next was a pistol, that sported the exact same attributes as Naruto's own dual pistol, except she only had one. The reason for this was because she was also given a Sub-Machine Gun. It had a much shorter stock and barrel than Naruto's sniper rifle, but sported a larger clip size along with a suppressor. It allowed for silent kills but took out the MAPC system that was installed on the other weapons, as no magnetically charged weapon could properly hold a suppressor without it being destroyed or damaged, but subsonic ammunition could still easily tear its way through the toughest of armors, even the rumored chakra armor that samurais and the Land of Snow were developing.

With her speed and flexibility, she could be on the field while Naruto stayed back and fired from a longer distance. She could easily dodge anything and summon legions of skeleton warriors.

Her last weapon was truly a shocker. A Partically Charged Laser Cannon...a _freaking _Laser Cannon. It was a bulky design and looked a lot like a dark blue and black rectangle until the trigger popped out. That also popped the actual laser chamber in the middle of the rectangle where the laser would be stored and be charged by a medium-seized reactor, which was, frankly, _overkill_. It fired a deep blue laser which literally incinerated anything. (That prompted a session with the Hokage, due to him and everyone within twenty-miles being alerted to a navy blue line of energy directed at the sky.) Definitely Anti-Fortress...

She now wore a Konoha headband on her forehead, and she had a navy blue and black version of the black and crimson red soldier jacket that Naruto wore. She wore ANBU pants, the same as him, and wore much lighter combat boots, as she was the front-line fighter, which no doubt entailed quite a bit of running and jumping.

* * *

_Present Day, Setting of the ending of Chapter 2_

Naruto then focused back on his partner, as he was jumping from tree to tree subconsciously, back to Konoha. His _girlfriend _Yugito.

She had earned herself the title of 'Blue Blur', due her speed and abilities. She was an S-Ranked Shinobi in the bingo book as well. She had said earlier on that his title was much better, as girls were attracted to mysterious/tragic figures. He had just chuckled and said it was better than the 'Blue Bouncer' he had thought up.

"Lost in thought again?" She shook him out of thoughts and he smiled at her.

"Just thinking again of how beautiful you are" Naruto said in reply.

Yugito smiled brightly back, and for once, Naruto didn't think life was so bad.

Having a feared reputation, when they fought together, as the 'Gold Duo' didn't exactly hurt either.

* * *

Phew, that hurt to retype over and over again. Anyway, can anyone find out some literal Japanese translations for Gold Duo, Blue Blur, and Lone Marksman? I would greatly appreciate it and credit you if you guys do.

Thanks and Review!


	5. Mark of Fire and Bullets

A/N: Jesus Christ! I know that a lot...or maybe _all_ of you readers, what little is left, are most likely pissed off at me for not continuing. But! I thank you all for being patient with me. First off, whenever I tried to save a document in _any_ format, it read as could not be saved. It also auto-closed my window and the document was deleted...all that hard work, gone. Every. Single. Time.

You could not imagine how painful it was to suddenly find those thousands of words deleted. Truth be told, I'm still hesitant writing just this author's note, but after downloading this LibreOffice and giving it a good few test runs, and with Finals over early due to construction as well as having _4_ months of summer vacation, I am now more inclined, as well as dedicated to finishing this mini-project of mine! Let it be known that I haven't quite shaped out the ending yet, but during my externally-imposed hiatus, I've broken clear out of my writer's block!

Let's hope the content I write hasn't dulled too much though...you'll be the one to judge it after all!

A poll is up on my profile! Please vote and review! NEED FEEDBACK!

Let's get this started!

Disclaimer: the same as last chapters...honestly, though...did you guys think I would own Naruto during my being MIA for the past year? Maybe...

* * *

Naruto sighed.

It just wasn't a good week for him.

It has started off promising. Yugito clearly showed skills capable of matching his own, the mission success rate hit a high point that couldn't ever be matched. Both of them were filthy rich from taking missions, though they weren't very picky with their money. They were both boyfriend and girlfriend, though they decided not to step past hugging and kissing as of yet.

So why the _hell_ was he stuck in the middle of nowhere, _alone_?

The numerous amount of missing-nin _and_ bandits littered the rather desolate scene of cliff sides and rocky inclines.

Missing-Nins were stuck with their status for one reason or another, most likely due to circumstances out of their hands. It was an achievement, and a frightening one at that, that they would pair up with bandits, who were considered scum of the earth, because they decided, more or less, to harass the civilians, ninja, and the economy of everyone that was effected by foreign trade.

Needless to say, that was pretty much all the organized nations under the sky.

He had taken a day-off his imposed vacation to do the universe a favor, and rid the existences of those who constantly plunder, kill, rape and Kami knows what else.

It was supposed to be a simple A-ranked mission.

_Then again, nothing's ever really simple these days, is it?_ Naruto mused.

He was tense, he saw that these people were armed to the neck in whatever they could salvage, and they, themselves were silent. Acknowledging the threat the _Lone Marksman_ would give off.

Naruto was surrounded on the top of a rocky incline, three of the ways directly from his position was crowded with hostiles. They were spread out and obviously told in advance about his fighting style. Most likely, some of the missing-nins had a bingo book.

The only other way out was to jump off an extremely high-up cliff down into the unforgiving seas below. It was nearly Fall and the temperature would surely whittle his health and stamina down in the best-case scenario. Added to that fact, was that the seas surely led to Kiri waters. He did _not_ want to place Konoha into a political situation with them on the bargaining side.

It wasn't like he had some kind of jet pack. Yet. Kyuubi and himself were beating themselves up on how to turn an already miniaturized reactor into a slim and non-bulky jet pack that would not interfere with combat.

Regardless, he knew he was truly in precarious situation. Though he had the range advantage and would most certainly eliminate more than a good number of what was bound to charge at him, he could not hold all of them off indefinitely. That was a easy job for a fully-automatic weapon though, which he did not have, and the only other person that _did_ have that capability was currently trying to sneak back into Kumo for both information and her own personal items back at her apartment.

Naruto insisted that he accompany Yugito's search-and-grab mission, just as much as she insisted right back that she would be fine alone, what with her knowledge of secret routes and all. Damn his girlfriend's stubbornness...

Either way, he realized that he could of set up some kind of reconnaissance on this area. It was a total black spot across all five great ninja villages. It held no precious minerals and was not a spot to farm or live on. However, it made for a great base of operations to strike at multiple trade routes between villages nearby, which meant a safe haven for bandits and the like.

Konoha wanted whoever was orchestrating these operations dead. Not only to free trade up again, but also for some political weight to throw around in the faces of the other four villages who would also have their own trade routes freed up by the results of this mission.

It was classified an A-rank but bordering on S-rank because of the lack of advance intelligence on the camp.

It was surely to be bumped up into a S-ranked mission when he ran straight into a _fortress_.

Naruto decided to cut his loses and make a break for open land, but his luck ran short when he ran into the dead-end where he was right now.

Naruto crouched slightly. He brought his trusty sniper to bear, feeling the comfortable weight resting against his right shoulder.

His mind went through multiple tactical scenarios. His total amount of options and results were not satisfying at all. He cursed.

_Fuck._

Konoha military doctrine dictated that he should immediately fight his way back to Konohagakure.

All the military villages had a military doctrine, each different and unique. Konoha's own military doctrine and operating procedures is what allowed Konoha to prosper with a staggering amount of missions, thereby pushing Konoha to the top of the food chain as the strongest ninja village in the Elemental Countries.

Little is known about the other villages' standard military doctrine, despite many sabotage and infiltration missions during the Great Shinobi Wars.

Konoha's standard doctrine called for a _mission-dependent, reactive losses_. This term meant that based on the mission ranking, the mission called for a certain number of losses before the mission is considered a failure, called _acceptable/unacceptable losses_.

As of the present time, it was currently 10% for D-ranks, 25% for C-ranks, 35% for B-ranks, 60% for A-ranks, and 90% for S-ranks.

This concept is based on a reactive measure, the variable depending on the number and skill level and set of the participants.

For example: if an average Konoha Genin team consisting of 4, the jonin and 3 genins, were to embark on a D-rank mission, the doctrine would allow one of the combat-readiness of the group to fall 10% down, leaving them with the combat effectiveness of 90%. This meant, if one of the genin's were to receive a moderate injury, but not life-threatening or if the jounin were to receive an injury that could potentially hamper _some_ of his fighting efficiency, the doctrine would allow the team to move on with the mission.

If that same team were to embark on a C-ranked mission, the doctrine would call for 75% combat-readiness before considering the mission a failure. 25% losses on a genin-team would entail multiple injuries on all personnel, serious injuries on 2 or less genins, life-threatening injuries on one genin, or the death of one genin. Any more 'losses', and the doctrine called for an all-out withdrawal back to Konoha to report.

This measure however is reactive, if a chunin-team of three said chunins were to set out on that same C-rank, protocol would demand up to, but not past 75% combat-readiness as well. For a 3-man chunin squad, that would entail moderate injuries across the group, or one serious to life-threatening injury. Any more would consider the mission a failure.

The reason for the large jump from B to A and from A to S ranks in combat-efficiency losses, was that those missions were of a particularly great importance to well-being of Konoha. After all, shinobis and kunoichis were nothing more than tools that live to serve the village as a whole, not unlike an ant colony, with the workers working to seek the betterment of the colony and it's queen.

S+ and SS ranks and even beyond that called for an absolute 100% dedication to finishing at all costs. It is speculated that these terms are alike between the villages, however there is a universal-set limit, agreed upon at the end of the Third Great Shinobi World War, on the number a village can make S+ and above ranked missions a year.

The 100% absolute dedication of a S+ rank or higher mission is not made without the stipulation that there must at the very least, be some of communication between the participants and the host village informing them of the situation. This is to ensure that at least the information would shed some light upon the inner workings of another village to insure that the operations within a village are not inhumane or crossing an unsaid, unofficial, but very real line.

Since this was a special A-ranked, most definitely turned S-rank, by counting the shear number of enemies that could potentially destroy a minor village, if not cripple a major village, Naruto could take up to 90% loss in combat-efficiency. However, with the pressing situation, he knew that if his combat-efficiency was taken down below even _70%_, he would be swarmed with no chance at getting the information back to Konoha, let alone alive.

He knew he was good, better than most. But against a number like this? Even Konoha's Yellow Flash was human. And a 1000 to 1 if not greater odds were not looking good for even a Kage.

His situation was made drastically worse when he found out that the route to, frankly, get the _hell_ out of the place was block by that indomitable fortress standing in his way. He was sure there were at least a couple hundred _more_ men and women waiting to strike gold by obtaining his weapons and claiming to have killed a person with his status as **Yuiitsu no Shashu** or _Lone Marksman_.

_Double-Fuck._

He was the epitome of a soldier's specialization of anything _but_ a close-combat, crowd-controlling soldier.

He was an assassin. He took out specialized targets within protection at long-range with precision and control. He was also made for support within a highly coordinated group mixing in a member proficient in CQC (Close Quarters Combat), along with a crowd-control support member and heavy weapons/demolition expert.

That usually translated into a marksman, a shotgun, a rifleman, and an explosives carrier/anti-armor support back in days of old.

He was a sniper.

He was a sniper, _without_ support, which in fact, the sniper was meant to _give_ support.

He was a sniper, alone against an unprecedented number of bandits armed for close range stabbing and missing-nins who we was absolutely _certain_ to have an arsenal of ninjutsu. Even a fairly limited range of ninjutsu could compliment the charging bandits well.

A sniper had no place within _this_ side battlefield.

_Triple-Fuck._

Naruto was forced to give a little more of the precious ground he already stood on in order to dampen the affects of multiple area-effect water and lightning jutsus.

Now his back was to the wall. A wall made of air, and a floor made of turbulent seas, which at this height and surface-tension would be akin to falling the same 200-meter height onto concrete.

And the bandits started their charge.

_Quadruple-Fuck._

Naruto sighed. Aiming in at the closest bandit, he fired off three shots in quick succession. He quickly sighted onto another missing-nin who was preparing to fire off another jutsu, while he inwardly acknowledged the seven or so bandits falling to the ground with missing heads or holes in their upper torso. Firing off another two shots before the missing-nins fired their own ranged jutsu, he quickly reloaded as they fell.

He was forced to fire all of the new bullets in the recently fresh clip at the rapidly approaching bandits.

As thirteen more men and women fell, he cursed once more.

_Quintuple Fuck..._

He realized that the approaching wave of flesh which wanted nothing more than to skin him alive for the death of their comrades, was using chakra to aid their speed in their goal to close the distance.

He had no trouble back in Kumo with those ANBU operatives. Not only was the opposing force much smaller, they were also rather surprised at the speed of which his weapons could kill.

Now however, they were well-informed, had good coordination, and were attack _en masse_.

With a force whose numbers could shake even the hardest of Kages.

He lifted his sniper up and over his back and secured it onto a strap. In one swift movement, he pulled out both of his handguns. The black steel coating shining in the glum atmosphere filled with death and destruction.

Firing off a double tap of Fire shots into the crowd, he watched impassively as their bodies were soaked with burning and devouring flames. He then fired off some Earth shots in the general location of the missing-nins in order to keep them on their toes and to hopefully disrupt any jutsu they were readying.

He then finished his clip off by firing Water bullets and curving those sideways and imploding upon the fires that were created by his Fire shots earlier. Those shots were more like scars carved into the bandit group. Slash marks of red and white heat trying to claw it's into the group. However that meant that the total line of advancing bandits were not completely impeded by the fires. The water shots curved into the fire and crisscrossed.

Normally, this would have have counter-producing effects and put out the flames. However, Naruto discovered another power within his already devastating elemental shells.

He could alter the molecule structure of the elements produced through the medium that was the bullet and it's SS (semi-sentient) feature.

By separating the hydrogen from oxygen, he could use both components in order to feed the fires more energy as well as the youkai that the bullets themselves gave off as a by-product of being made with youkai. Also the resulting breaking in hydrogen bonds also released a good amount of energy itself to fan the flames as it were.

This led to the shots having trails of white flames following their course that was altered by Naruto. The resulting lines were stonewalled by white flames threatening to devour them whole. They were further disheartened by the fact some of the comrades left and right were already being killed off by the flames that seemed to burn no matter what they tried and more likely spread the fire itself.

The missing-nins were again forced to break off the offensive jutsu placement in favor of readying water jutsu to help put out the flames that were creating mass panic within their lines. Though, they had no idea that the flames actually ate chakra in order to fuel itself, so they would actually be helping in spreading the fires.

Naruto reloaded and proceeded to push the line further back by launch a combination of water, earth and fire bullets, each one complementing the other as well as wreaking havoc on the bandits, who by now were taking the burnt of the damage and paid for it with lives.

Gaining ground slowly, but surely, he unleashed a hailstorm of wind bullets at the now growing bonfire of white phosphorus. When his clips emptied once more, instead of reloading, he unleashed as many of his personal **Rasengan Bullet**s as humanely possible into the wind-fueled flames.

This had the desired effect.

The forward bandit lines were all but decimated, and the middle lines were halfway to hell with the flames gnawing at their clothing and armor. The flanks and rear guard were in full retreat in order to escape the searing heat but were all but killed by the resulting firestorm that Naruto Uzumaki produced.

The flames themselves encompassed the entirety of the lines advancing before him. With the addition of the Wind shots, the flames spread out further while retaining their width so that it left no chance for the enemy to take advantage and rush him while reloading.

The omnidirectional winds that the **Rasengan Bullet**s had instead turned the bonfire into a red and white hot firestorm that hamper the effort of the supporting missing-nins, if not entirely taking them out of the battlefield.

As Naruto advanced hastily, the flames curled around him in order to both allow him passage and to protect him further. This was a direct result of the youkai residue still present within the lingering flames. It recognized the mass moving towards itself as the main host and granted him passage with minimal effort and heartache.

Pushing past the flames and running, coincidentally keeping pace with the, by now, retreating hostiles, Naruto proceeded to reload while advancing on the tall, imposing fortress laying before him.

As the retreating enemies realized their enemy was hot on their trail (rather literally as well), they regroup along with reinforcement from the fortress, now up close looking like a castle.

The bordering walls made of stone and steel along without a doubt, many traps within it's walls, Naruto decided to stall for time and perform his, current, signature.

"**Fūton: Naruto no Jutsu**!**; Wind Release: Maelstrom Technique**!" Naruto was encompassed by a gray semi-sphere bubble of multi-directional winds moving at high speed.

This defensive-oriented technique had it's desired affect of stalling for time. All of the enemy combatants quickly realized the futility of trying to pierce the wind shield by any means, as shown by the effortless repelling of many jutsus and weapons.

Naruto had totally mastered this technique back awhile during his vacation. He could now effortlessly maintain this technique in combination with Kyuubi's youkai and even with him going at full _human_ speed. However, youkai was unused at multitasking and he could not both empower his speed and the Naruto no Jutsu at the same time. Yet.

However, he was taking his time purposefully. He needed a way to both end the threat now as well and getting back home in one piece. The downside to the Maelstrom Technique was that it was a total shield and would not allow anything besides regular oxygen and a desired amount of light to be filtered through. If any amount of chakra or even youkai were to come into contact with this technique, the jutsu would recognize it as a threat automatically and both repelling the host if s/he was in range as well as taking as much chakra from the host or technique as possible to both fuel the technique and empower it further. And so Naruto could not perform any damaging technique to anyone outside the bubble.

The bullets themselves could not pierce the shield, though his sniper could somewhat fight it's way about ½ into the shield before detonating and rendering the attack harmless by slightly buffeting the winds. Plus, his sniper was large enough that he could not properly use it within this enclosed space either way.

In order to get out alive along with completing his object alone, he would need to every ounce of skill as well as intellect to come out as the victor. He grimaced as he drew up of Kyuubi's youkai once more.

On the outside, many of the hostiles quickly tensed in anticipation as the gray wind bubble slowly transformed into a red and black maelstrom.

As fast as it came, it disappeared, the bubble and the even the occupant inside.

All were confused at this new development, at least until it reappeared on top of a missing-nin. He didn't even have the chance to scream as his head and resulting nerve-connections were simply eradicated.

It seemed to have used his face as a stepping stone to get onto a section of the fort walls. The bubble then disappeared when it made contact with the wall, but not until it released all it's pent-up energy by demolishing the entire section of the second floor northern walls.

The dust faded away to reveal Naruto in tatters. He was worse for wear as his outfit, or the remains of which, depicted. His crimson and black soldier jacket with Konoha's emblem on the front and the Uzumaki swirl on the back was completely shredded and revealed black muscle shirt underneath, which also was held together on by a thread. His ANBU-style pants were torn and beat up with overuse.

Remarkably, his weapons looked to be unharmed, or rather looking _fresh_ and glinting in the pale sunlight. The on board reactions reacted and resonated with the youkai and repaired whatever damages it had endured.

Re-holstering his pistols in favor of his sniper, he proceeded once again to decimate the lines he had jumped past. Along with collapsing the the front gate and killing the wall's guards, Naruto made his way through the facility to find it's leader.

On the third floor, he found a rather lavish command room in which he found the leader of the misfit group behind his desk, looking straight at him no fear, as if anticipating this.

_Well, he must have heard the screams, gunfire, and explosions either way._ Naruto mused as he brought out one of his pistols to bear on the rather old man.

The supposed leader had black hair and a stubble. Dressed in unexpectedly regal-looking clothes, he gave out an aura of a charismatic leader.

He then stood up and placed himself in front of Naruto's weapon. His heart directly in front of the business end of the sleek looking pistol.

"Well then, Konoha shinobi-san. I have waited for this day for so long. You cannot imagine how hard it is to organize an army of _both_ bandits and missing-nin. Though, if you really killed off most of them by your own hands, you deserved to be commended at the very least." Naruto was inwardly shocked at the politeness of his tone.

He then heard footsteps approaching and decided to end this.

As he pulled the trigger, he heard some shocking words before the leader's heart exploded.

"You actually look so much like Minato-san, now that I take another look at you. Well then, give Danzo-teme my regards, Konoha shinobi-san."

Unlike that time back in Kumo, he did not hesitate this time. He decided to get the bloody hell out of here and dwell on this later.

Quickly swapping his weapon for his trusty sniper, he fired out an Earth bullet at the wall behind his desk. He knew that was the southern wall judging by the northern-wall he had demolished. South, back to Konoha.

He quickly escaped his pursuers by firing another two earth bullets behind him blindly. They were meant to slow his pursuers down in order to give himself a head start rather than kill anybody. He had enough blood on his hands for a week.

–

Turning in the mission had more consequences then he thought. By ridding the Elemental Countries of a good amount of the bandit and missing-nin population, he earned himself a great pay check, and fame.

It seemed the survivors of the exchange gave up on their ways of life and went into minor villages, who welcomed the extra set of hands and protectors with open hands. All the while, it spread across the Countries that the **Yuiitsu no Shashu** took down the huge fortress by himself. If any other village had sent in any amount of numbers and/or skilled shinobi and kunoichis, it was certain that they would suffer a good amount of casualties, if not repelled outright. The way they fought was like a well-oiled machine and to be taken down and humiliated so thoroughly by one kid?

Naruto was basking in the praise as Kyuubi reluctantly allowed him to be graded as Kage-level with his combat experience.

Of course, all this praise and acknowledgments from various sources was not all good.

Yugito had gotten word of this and immediately confronted him. Naruto let it slipped that if he fought with any less effort or such, he would have not gotten back alive. Yugito beat herself up over it by not being with him, and thus she would nag him about future mission requisitions and nagged the Hokage about become a more permanent partner for Naruto in all future missions.

The request was denied with the stipulation that Yugito will accompany in all missions with Naruto whenever the requested together, however, if he decided to send only one of them out of a mission, they could not complain about it.

Yugito then agreed after a heated debate. Then, she turned her fury on Naruto.

The end result? Yugito now nagged Naruto like an over-protective wife whenever he tried to do some missions, and most of them she now accompanied. Now mainly known as the **Kimu De~Yuo** or _Gold Duo_, they together accomplished and completed many missions, not only with zero losses, both also going above and beyond the call to serve, propelling them above the rank-and-file soldiers they were. The council, whatever arguments it tried to come up with, could not deny results. The new breed of Special Operatives in Konoha were beneficial in every way and pulled it's own weight and then some.

But Naruto and Yugito's rather peaceful lifestyle, along with Konohagakure's rather idyllic life, was coming to an end.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review! I need encouragement to continue with this project of mine, or I'll consider it a lost cause!

Also credit goes to Lloyd Neruameshi and Foxes-rocks for helping me with the translations of Lone Marksman and Gold Duo. I chose theirs over Reikson, so sorry, but thanks for the help!


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